Reinforced case



Nov. 20, 1956 R. P. STEPHENSON REINFORCED CASE Filed July 11, 1949ROBERT P. STEPHENSON TTORNEY United States Patent REINFORCED CASE RobertP. Stephenson, Grand Rapids, Mich. Application July 11, 1949, Serial No.104,021

3 Claims. (Cl. 229--23) This invention provides a reinforced caseconstruction developed principally for use in connection with bottlecrates. The sale and transportation of bottled beverages such as milkand soft drinks has created a great demand for durable low costcontainers in which the bottles may be handled in lots of several dozen.Crates full of such bottles, whether the bottles are empty or full, canbe loaded aboard a truck, handled in storage, and manually carried fromone place to another with generally less danger to the bottles andcontents than would be the case if attempts were made to handle thebottles alone. It is the general practice for dealers in suchmerchandise to receive a quantity of beverages in case lots and toreplace such bottles in the case after they have been emptied in orderto return them to the bottling agency. It follows that such cases aresubject to a very severe routine involving repeated opening and closingof covers, and also many changes of position resulting in wear,abrasion, and danger of damage from accident. Since it is the usualpractice to store such containers in stacks, the accumulated weight ofseveral containers may be brought to bear upon the lower ones resultingin a tendency to distortion. Since the emptied bottles of beverages areusually replaced in the container while still retaining a small quantityof liquid, it frequently happens that spillage will accumulate in thebottom of the case and saturate the material thereof with moisture forlong periods of time.

The type of service that these containers are subject to results intheir being regarded as expendable items, and it is generally expectedthat a certain number of trips to and from the bottling plant isaccepted as a satisfactory life for these articles. Somewhere acompromise must be drawn between the original cost of the carton and thelife expectancy of the same in order to accomplish the maximum overalleconomy. Since many of the containers are lost outright, it does nothold true that the maximum economy follows from building a containerhaving the maximum life expectancy. To build such a container. with areally long life expectancy would require that such Cost be involved asto make it imperative that each container be recovered. This is notpractically feasible, and the situation has resulted in an attempt touse easily formed and fastened material while retaining the maximumrigidity and strength possible for such construction. Many such beveragecontainers have been made of wood, but it is becoming more and morecustomary to use fibre or cardboard as the principal material in view ofthe ease with which fastenings can be made. The usual stapling machineis all that is required to attach one panel to another, and the entirecarton or container can be fabricated from one or a very few sheetsfolded along established lines. This type of constructtion is of coursemuch more economical than would be the case in which lumber was utilizedrequiring the various milling, cutting, and nailing operations,particularly in view of the relatively higher costs of lumber thanofcardboard.

'ice

The present invention provides a construction for containers which makespossible the use of the fibre or cardboard material while obtaining amuch more rigid and durable unit than has been obtainable through theuse of other methods of construction. In the preferred form of thepresent invention, the principal portion of the container is formed ofone or more sheets of fibre or cardboard, with a pair of reinforcingplates arranged one at each end of the container in order to give therequired rigidity to withstand the forces encountered in stacking andhandling the same. A particularly important feature of the presentinvention is an arrangement for utilizing the rigidity of such materialsas sheet metal as reinforcing members for a container built essentiallyout of cardboard without requiring that fastenings be actually forcedthrough the material of the reinforcing member. Preferably, thereinforcing member is positioned between panels of the fibrous materialin such a manner that the fibrous panels overlap at least the edges ofthe reinforcing plate and thus position the same in a directiongenerally perpendicular to the surface of the plate. The lateralpositioning of the reinforcing member is preferably accomplished simplythrough the action of a series of fastening members attaching thefibrous panels together. This row of fastenings is preferably disposedjust beyond the edge of the reinforcing plate so that the action of thefastening members in securing the panels together prevents the movementof the plate relative to the panel in the direction of the fasteningmembers. In the usual case, the plate is not permitted to actually buttup against the fastening member due to the squeezing action of thepanels which have been secured. If the fastening members open upslightly due to loosening, it is possible for the reinforcing plate tomove to a point in which the fastening members themselves are contacted,but this is not the usual case. It is also possible to dispose a spacingmember between the two panels retaining the reinforcing plate inposition, with the spacing member acting as an abuttment preventing thelateral movement of the plate. Glue or other adhesive is practi cal forsecuring the cardboard panels together with this arrangement.

Since the preferred form of the present invention involves a reinforcingplate substantially covering the end of a carton, there are a great manylocations in which it is desirable to insert fastenings which have thesole object of securing the components of the carton in assembledrelationship. For this reason, suitable cutouts are provided in thereinforcing plate to permit passage of the fastenting members (such asstaples) through the various component panels of the carton which may bedisposed at either side of the reinforcing plate. I

A modified form of the present invention includes the use of a series ofcorner angles disposed at each corner of the container and held inposition through the action of the fastenings securing the variouspanels of the principal portion of the carton. These anglereinforcements can simply be placed in position previous to theinstallation of the fastening staples or other securing means, and thereinforcing angles are then securely held in place through the action ofthe super-posed panels thus secured. This type of reinforcement gives aconsiderable stacking rigidity, and makes the corners of the carton muchmore able to withstand the abrasion due to the severe handling thatthese containers are subject to.

Another modification of the present invention involves a reinforcingplate provided with suitable apertures arranged to accommodate thepassage of securing memberswhich have been passed through at least onepanel of a carton structure. In this modification, the fastenings pass.

through the openings in the reinforcing plate, and are then deflectedand bent over so as to engage the adjacent portions of the reinforcingplate and thus secure the plate and the fibrous panel in assembledrelationship. With this type of construction it is possible to use areinforcing panel which also serves the purpose of providing the endsurface of the container. In this construction it is preferable to forma portion of the reinforcing plate so as to create a projection in thenature of a handle to facilitate the handling of the finished container.When conventional staples are used, the openings above referred to canbe either a series of parallel slots through which the staples arearranged to pass through and close inwardly to grasp the materialbetween the slots, or a single wider slot may be used with the staplingmachine arranged to bend the legs of the staple outwardly and thusengage the adjacent material of the reinforcing plate.

The various features of the present invention will be analyzed in detailby a discussion of the particular embodiments shown in the accompanyingdrawings. In these drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container constructed according tothe preferred form of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view of the reinforcing plate utilized in the constructionshown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section taken in the plane 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section taken in the horizontal plane of a modified formof a carton built according to a modified form of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a section taken in the plane 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 illustrates a modified form of a reinforcing plate for use witha slightly different type of construction from that indicated in Figures1 and 5.

Figure 7 is a horizontal section through a corner of the containerutilizing the reinforcing member shown in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a view taken along the plane 8-8 of Figure 6.

Referring to Figure 1, the container generally indicated at 10 is shownprovided with the cover members 11 and 12 formed essentially of the samematerial as the side and bottom, with the hinge action created by acrease suitably formed during the process of manufacture. The sides 13and 14, together with the bottom 15 (shown in Figure 3), are also formedof the same single piece of material as the covers 11 and 12. Thecardboard end panels 16 and 17 are formed of separate pieces bent overat the top as shown. The end panels are notched to provide for theflanges of the cover members 11 and 12. A separate bottom panel 18 maybe placed in the container as shown if desired.

The securing of these various components and panels in position ispreferably accomplished by the use of a series of staples. Each end ofthe container is provided with the series of staples 19 and 20, and alsothe groups of staples 21 and 22. Previous to the insertion of thesevarious groups and series of staples, a metal reinforcing plate 23 ispositioned between the inner portion of the fibrous end panels 16 and 17and the flaps connected to the sides and bottom of the container. Thedimensions of the reinforcing plate 23 are such that the outer edges ofthe same are disposed inwardly of the series of staples 19 and '20. Acutout 24 is provided in the upper portion of the reinforcing plate 23to accommodate the group of staples 21, and a second cutout 25 isprovided at the lower portion of the reinforcing plate to accommodatethe group of staples 22. With this type of construction, a sufficientnumber of staples properly positioned are provided to adequately securethe fibrous components of the container together without requiring thatthese fastenings be forced through the metal of the reinforcing plate.Preferably, the reinforcing plate 23 is provided with a lower flange 26forming a corner reinforcement for the bottom of the containerreinforcing the container at the point where it is usually most prone tofail due to the effect of the accumulation of moisture in this areawhere the abuse is most severe. The view shown in Figure 3 illustratesthe superimposed relationship of the various panels and of thereinforcing plate 23.

Figure 4 shows a modification of the present invention in which theangle member 27 is positioned between an end panel 23 and the side panel29 and the fiaps associated with these panels. The series of staples 30and 31 attaches the panels in assembled relationship and results in theconfinement of the reinforcing angle 27 in the required position. Thisview is taken on a horizontal plane through a corner of a container ofthe same general characteristics as that shown in Figure 1 as far as theoverall dimensions are concerned.

Referring to Figures 6, 7 and 8, another modification of the presentinvention is shown in which a reinforcing plate 32 is used forming theadded function of providing the end surface of a container. The sidewalls of the container as indicated at 33 are preferably of a fibrous orcardboard-like material, and the end panel 32 is secured thereto throughthe series of staples in the position indicated at 34. A series ofparallel slots is indicated at 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39. These slots are sospaced as to provide passage for the leg of the staples 34, and thesecuring of the plate 32 in the side members 33 is completed when thestaples are bent over to grasp the portion of the metal between theseseries of parallel slots. The same general result can be accomplished byproviding single slots in place of the spaced parallel slots, with thewidth of the single slot such as to admit the legs of the staples 34.The legs can then be folded outwardly to grasp the adjacent metal of thereinforcing plate to complete the attaching. The section shown in Figure8 shows a handle portion 36 formed from the surface of the reinforcingplate 32 to provide an adequate gripping point for carrying thecontainer.

Referring to Figure 1, it will be noted that at each of the lowercorners of the container a small opening is formed due to the folding ofthe flaps and side panels as shown. It is possible to utilize theseopenings for drainage to facilitate the removal of moisture or spillagefrom the contained bottles. These holes can be kept open so as topreserve the drainage feature by rounding the corners of the separatebottom panel 18. With the corners of this panel rounded as shown inFigure 1, the corners of the container will be maintained through theaction of the reinforcing plate 23 and the similar member at theopposite end of the container, and this opening will not be interferedwith by the corners of the separate bottom panel.

The particular embodiments of the present invention which have beenshown in the accompanying drawings and described herein are forillustrative purposes only and are not to be considered as a limitationupon the scope of the appended claims. In these claims it is the intentof the inventor to claim the entire invention to which he is entitled inview of the prior art.

I claim:

1. A rectangular container, comprising: side, end, and bottom wallpanels of fibrous sheet material disposed to define enclosed space, saidside and bottom panels having flap portions disposed to overlap themarginal portions of the adjacent end panels along the normally verticalsides and the bottom of said ends; a plate of relatively hard materialin face contact with an end panel and having its vertical edge portionsinterposed between said flaps and said marginal portions, said plateextending from a point adjacent the top of said container to the bottomthereof and having a flange portion disposed to rest on said bottompanel; and fastening means disposed along said normally vertical sidesoutside the vertical edges of said plate and securing said flaps andmarginal portions together and clamping said plate therebetween.

2. A rectangular container, comprising: side, end, and

bottom wall panels of fibrous sheet material disposed to define anenclosed space, said side panelshaving flap portions disposed to overlapthe marginal portions of the adjacent end panels along the normallyvertical sides of said ends; a plate of relatively hard material in facecontact with an end panel and having its vertical edge portionsinterposed between said flaps and said marginal portions, said plateextending from a point adjacent the top of said container to the bottomthereof; and fastening means disposed along said normally vertical sidesoutside the vertical edges of said plate and securing said flaps andmarginal portions together and clamping said plate therebetween.

3. A rectangular container, comprising: side, end, and bottom wallpanels of fibrous sheet material disposed to define an enclosed space,certain of said panels having flap portions disposed to overlap themarginal portions of the adjacent panels; a plate of relatively hardmaterial in face contact with one of said panels and having its verticaledge portions interposed between said flaps and said marginal portions,said plate extending from a point adjacent the top of said container tothe bottom thereof;

G and fastening means disposed along the normally vertical sides of saidends outside the vertical edges of said plate and securing said flapsand marginal portions together and clamping said plate therebetween.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS326,705 Bauer Sept. 22, 1885 1,099,808 Martin June 9, 1914 1,120,955Martin Dec. 15, 1914 1,149,925 Leighton Aug. 10, 1915 2,175,476 MartinOct. 10, 1939 2,284,385 Freshwaters May 26, 1942 2,352,994 Morgan July4, 1944 2,404,065 Hill July 16, 1946 2,459,939 Hill et al. Jan. 25, 1949FOREIGN PATENTS 414,787 Great Britain Aug. 16, 1934

